3 Wishes
by Yaori Himura
Summary: Within the infamous Rikkai Dai walls, is an infamous rumored murder. The Tennis Club takes the scare of finding out the truth in the concealed words. Are they in for something they'll regret?
1. Prologue

**3 Wishes**

A/N: OHMYGOSH HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN? OKAY, kill me for not having any shame and showing up here but I couldn't resist! FORGIVE ME! But, as an apology…. Cookie, I have a new story. So I totally know that I've got like, a THOUSAND others (not really a thousand but you get the idea) but I REALLY REALLY wanted to write THIS particular one. AND… It's mystery/suspense, AGAIN (or was chain mail thriller? Bah). DUNDUNDUN! SO PLEASE… ENJOY :DDDDDDD

**3 Wishes**

**Prologue**

Rikkai Dai.

A well-known school. Outstanding students, unbelievable prestige, but not all the well, unlike Hyoutei that boasts of wealthy education.

But if there was one thing Rikkai U was proud of, it just had to be their tennis club, led by Yukimura Seiichi with his second-in-command Sanada Genichirou, and Yanagi Renji not following that far behind. All in all, Rikkai was full of well-rounded achievers. Every now and then, they might get that unexpected asset, like Marui Bunta, or even a foreign one, like Kuwahara Jackal.

But what no one from outside the university walls really knew was the secret of Rikkai.

The infamous rumor about the murder of one of its students within the so-called perfectly safe campus.

No one knew if it was true, of course.

But you know, daredevils always had a way with ghost rumors. They had a habit of trying things out just to see if they'd piss in their pants if those things were actually real.

And in this story, those daredevils were named Kuwahara Jackal and Marui Bunta.

"I'm not really sure about this, Marui.", Jackal said, quivering slightly.

The redhead just kept on walking in the dark, the night-air trying to stop them from doing something they'll obviously regret.

"Relax, baldy. We're just here to see if the rumor's true.", he said nonchalantly, as if unafraid of the impending danger. Though both of them knew he was shaking harder than Jackal was.

Marui struggled to keep the flashlight straight in his hand. He was concentrating hard. One wrong move and he'd drop it then run away for his life. Jackal would laugh at him if he did, then the whole school would know the university's cutie was a chicken. He didn't want that. No one in their right mind would, not that Marui was exactly in his right mind. If he was he wouldn't be doing this right now.

"What if it is true?", Jackal countered.

He had a really good point.

But no.

"Look, Jackal.", Marui said and turned to look at his partner. "I'm pretty much as scared as you are. But this is a dare, and if Yukimura-buchou hadn't been there, honestly, we wouldn't be doing this. But he was. Now, do you want to get embarrassed?"

Jackal pondered about the thought for a moment and answered with a low disapproval.

"Good. Now get a move on before it gets any darker."

If it could get any darker.

The duo could practically hear the cold night air whispering in their ears.

And then they stopped, albeit in perfect synchrony.

"Marui, if you could think this over one more time, I'll be real happy.", Jackal pleaded.

But his words reached deaf ears.

"Let's get this over with, par'ner.", Marui mumbled, almost to himself.

They stood there, in front of the elevator and stared at its steel doors, shut tightly. Their reflection on the surface expressed the same fear they were feeling. Jackal watched his image trembling, knees weak, forehead sweating. Wow, he looked like he was suddenly paler.

"So we just have to go inside the elevator and then what-?" The tanned tennis player asked.

"We sing that song… What was that song again?"

"Ughhh… That. That song."

"Oh yeah, the one that, yeah. Right."

"Then what do we do?"

"Well," The volley specialist rubbed his chin, buried in deep thought. "I remember Niou saying something about another floor…"

The gulp Jackal took almost made Marui go deaf as the sound reverberated through the walls of the isolated corridor.

"Then we go to the comfort room, make a wish and run away on our way out?" Jackal asked, mumbling the words together in a slight panic.

"That's the plan."

"Why do you seem so confident?", he just had to ask. Marui acted like he was just gonna go to his room.

"Sometimes you gotta lie to yourself about your fears, Jackal. So far, this is one of my greatest."

He was reassured, a bit.

"Shall we?", Jackal asked.

Marui made a little gentleman bow his fan girls would've said it was cute. "After you.", he said with a small smile on his lips. Jackal sighed and shook his head. He was completely dumbfounded at the fact that Marui still had the nerve to joke around. He pushed the up button and stuck his tongue out at his partner.

"Forgot to push the button."

"You're the one close to it. What, do you expect me to do everything for you?"

Both of them stared at the digit on the side getting lower and lower, the elevator nearing their floor.

When the indicator displayed a red "G", a loud click resounded about the area.

"Well, here goes." The cake lover fidgeted as the doors opened and presented a slightly uncomfortable emptiness.

The two shared a look and nodded at each other. They stepped inside the enclosed space and hit the button to close the doors.

"Top floor, was it?" Marui asked despite having already pushed the button.

"That's the one."

An awkward silence grew around them and Marui could've sworn he was suffocating.

"Jackal," he croaked. "In case this is my last few minutes here on earth, I just want you to know that it was a pleasure knowing ya. I never really told ya but I appreciate you always helping me with stuff. "

Jackal chuckled a bit nervously. "Yeah. Don't mention it. And Marui, you've been a great partner. I'd never imagine standing on our half of the court with another person."

They laughed for a while before their voices fading away into the eerie confines of the elevator walls.

"Uhm, Jackal. Aren't we forgetting something?"

"No… Not that I know of, no—The song!"

"Oh right!" Marui joined in.

They stood there for a while as they were raised higher and higher.

"_Yubi kiri—"_

Marui, who started, was cut off by a loud ding and the opening of the doors.

Panicking, he checked which floor they were in.

"Last floor. We failed. QUICK CLOSE IT I DON'T WANNA SEE WHAT'S OUTSIDE!"

They both tapped on the close button, which was obviously too small for two fingers.

Though afraid out of his wits, Marui caught a glimpse of the dark corridor and swore he saw something move. He stared at nothing but air as the doors came to a close.

Jackal wiped away the sweat that formed while he was busy keeping himself from wailing out loud about how scared he actually was and that he didn't want to do it anymore.

Good thing they forgot about the song.

"I don't get it."

Jackal stopped and looked at the short man beside him.

"Get what? I'm pretty sure it was because we didn't sing—"

"No, this is different."

"What… Is?"

For some reason, the sweat started to form on his forehead again and his knees wobbled. Marui was giving him another thing to be scared of when he just barely escaped the previous one. What exactly was wrong with this guy? Did he like being scared?

"I just… I'm just messin' around with ya!" Marui said, pointed at Jackal and laughed out loud.

Jackal gritted his teeth and hit the redhead square on the head.

"I was freaking scared out there!"

Marui snickered, tears forming on the corner of his eyes.

"You should've seen your face!"

They reached the ground floor and walked outside, heading towards their dorms. Jackal was muttering some low curses while his partner was busy trying to breathe.

"But honestly, Marui. What are we gonna say to Buchou?"

Marui shrugged.

"Let's just tell 'em the ghost took a dip or sumthin'."

Jackal snorted at the answer.

"That is one lame excuse."

"I know. Doesn't matter. The only one who'll mock us is Niou, anyway."

Jackal nodded.

They neared their dorms and entered.

They were roommates, Marui and Jackal. Though they were mostly stupid and crazy and wild, their room was well-organized and had the most space. So whenever the club wanted to hang around, they stayed there, since any other place was unavailable. It was against the rules a bit, but being a part of the tennis club did have its advantages.

The tennis players were sprawled everywhere. Well, not all of them. The Sannin-Bakemono were carefully seated on Marui's bed. As soon as everyone of them noticed Marui and Jackal enter, they transferred their full attention to the two; Niou sitting up straight and Kirihara setting down the deck of cards he was playing with.

"So?", Niou asked almost too enthusiastically. "Did you do it?"

"The ghost took a—"

"Yep."

Jackal, who had been cut off by Marui, stared at his partner with wide eyes.

"You did?" Kirihara asked, looking at Jackal for some truth.

"Ah… Yes, yes. We did." Jackal laughed nervously and scratched his head. What was Marui thinking? He was just about to say what he was told to say as an excuse, and now Marui thought up of a new lie?

"So? What happened?" Yukimura looked at them, arms crossed.

"Nothing. Rumor ain't true. It's what it is." Marui replied in monotone.

Jackal was confused.

"I don't believe you." Niou remarked.

"Suit yourself, trickster, but I'm telling ya. Rumor's gonna get ya nowhere."

"Well," Renji butt in, "So much for waiting. I'm heading back."

Renji stood up and exited, the other two following short after. Kirirhara, Yagyuu, who was completely quiet all throughout, and Niou, seeing no fun in continuing a mindless conversation, went out of the room. The latter shot a glance at the redhead, still suspicious.

Marui shrugged and smiled.

When the door closed, Jackal spazzed.

"What was that all about?"

"Easy there, cowboy. If we told them we didn't make it, sooner or later, they're just gonna try out again."

"What?"

"You know Niou and his brain. And I don't really wanna see Yagyuu getting pulled into something he never signed up for."

Jackal inhaled a large mass of air.

"Fine. You win. I'll just take a shower."

"Make it quick. I'll use after."

The rest of the night was pretty silent. It wasn't comfortable, just plain awkward. None of them wanted to say anything about what happened.

Marui plopped down on the bed.

He couldn't stop thinking about what he saw.

But he was glad it was over.

Though something told him he was in for something he wasn't expecting.

Was it really over?

That's where the story begins.

-End of Prologue-

A/N: Okay, I dunno if Rikkai had dorms but in this, they do. Pardon any errors. R&R! I love 'em reviews!


	2. Chapter 1

**3 Wishes**

_To EcstaticPetenshi: I knew they didn't have dorms! _

_LOL. Yeah, you're right. So I saw in your profile that you love Shitenhouji. _

_I love 'em too! _

_To KyomotoSora: Glad you liked it. _

A/N: HALLO! IZ ME AGAIN! SO, thank you to my lovely reviewers, EcstaticPetenshi and KyomotoSora. Oh, and, sorry, I kinda updated late. I dunno, there's this mysterious force that gets in my way when I write. Like my brother appears, we have to go somewhere, my relatives visit. *sigh* Anyway, I'm TOTALLY happy I can finally update. I've been wanting to for a while now. Yesterday, we went out of town, and all I could think about was this. So, here goes! Enjoy!

**3 Wishes**

**Chapter 1**

'_Hun, do you want some more cake?'_

'_Yeah. Yeah, I want more of that cake.'_

'_Say, ahh, Marui.'_

'_Ahhhh…'_

'_Marui…'_

'_Yes?'_

'_Marui…'_

'_What? What is it?'_

'_Marui…'_

'_Okay, you keep sayin' it like that and you're gonna wear it out.'_

'_MARUI!'_

The dreaming redhead jolted up from the bed.

"WHO-WHAT-WHERE-WHEN-HOW?" He yelled in a dazed state.

Jackal looked at him from the side of his bed, dressed properly in uniform.

"Seriously, Marui. I've woken you up a dozen times. Why are you still in bed?"

Marui didn't answer. He just stretched and gave a loud yawn before attempting to lay back down in bed.

"No way, mister. You gotta be punctual this time." Jackal said as he grabbed the shorter man by the shoulder. He received a glare, but it failed. He's done that a lot of times. It was growing old.

"But I don't wanna go~!" He whined, pretty much like a child. Jackal didn't fall for it. He bore the responsibility of keeping Marui in line. It was his noble duty as the half of the D2 Pair.

"Come on, Marui. If you keep whining like this, you're gonna get me late, too. We only have 10 minutes left. And counting."

Marui sighed, his shoulder slumping down.

"Fine. But I'm telling ya, I ain't gonna make it in 10."

"Just try!"

Jackal sat on his bed and tapped his fingers on his knees, obviously already growing impatient. He noticed how slow Marui was moving, like he wasn't chasing anything. That man. Always nonchalant about things. He just needed some kind of push to get him going. Well, true Marui's appearance and nature could fool anyone into thinking he didn't care about the world or anything inside it, but he was actually very enthusiastic about a lot of stuff, and though it didn't show, he had this certain assertiveness people had the habit of misinterpreting.

The said redhead hummed a tune as he set up his uniform. He made his way to the bathroom and grabbed his towel.

"I'll try to finish in 5!" He yelled before shutting the door.

When inside, he opened the faucet of the tub and hung his towel.

Okay, so maybe he won't finish in 5. He did say he would try, not that he would. Besides, Jackal knew him well enough to not expect anything out of him.

"_Muteki de genki~ Honki ga suteki i~i~…"_

He proceeded to strip down, still singing.

When the tub was filled in just right, he turned off the faucet and lowered himself, releasing a sigh of contentment while doing so.

"Yeah…" He said and closed his eyes briefly.

"I'm sure Jackal won't mind. The guy's practically a saint."

He suddenly thought of Yagyuu before a small chuckle escaped his lips.

"Well, better make the most of this."

He gripped on the sides of the tub and submerged himself underwater. The tub was big enough to fit Jackal so it wasn't impossible to do so.

'_Promise you won't fall in love with him?'_

_A girl with long, jet-black hair._

'_What-? I uh… I promise…', her friend, pale and thin._

'_Good. You're a great friend!'_

Marui re-emerged from under the surface of the water and gasped for air.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT?"

Shortly after his outburst, knocks came on the door.

"Marui?" Jackal called from outside. "Are you alright in there?"

"I'm fine!"

"What's taking you so long?"

"I haven't even been here for 2 minutes!"

"Well, I know you're not gonna be out of there by 5!"

"I'll be out soon! Geez!"

He pushed himself up carefully and popped the drain of the tub to let the water flow down before turning the knob of the shower. He took the soap and scrubbed quickly on his skin, trying to cover every part with bubbles. He didn't bother to turn off the shower as it rinsed some of the bubbles away. After a vigorous scrubbing session, he squeezed some shampoo on his palm and, with a quick motion, formed a thick lather on his head.

"Gotta be quick." He sang.

He washed off everything, going as fast as he can. Part of the reason was Jackal, but a bigger contributor to his speed was the incident that happened.

Was it some kind of vision? A flashback? Someone else's memory?

Whatever it was, he did not want to see any more of its friends.

He grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his waist after being completely clean and almost ran on his way out. Jackal just stared at him, confused.

And he grew even more confused when the supposed genius took of his towel and dropped it on the ground.

"Woah, what is—"

"Not now, talk later!" Marui said with a sped up accent as he put on his uniform. After what seemed like only 5 seconds, he dashed to the sink, leaving the door to the bathroom open, and brushed his teeth. Jackal watched as his partner looked like he was actually trying to make his gums bleed. He winced when the said man spat out on the sink and washed his mouth.

"You know, you could've just used the mouthwash." Jackal commented.

Marui opened the door and grabbed his bag. He stopped to look at Jackal.

"Well? What are you waiting for, let's go!"

The latter seemed flushed. What was up with Marui today?

…

Was he on some kind of drug?

"And that is exactly why—"

"SENSEI, SORRY WE'RE LATE!"

The teacher slowly looked at whoever shouted, as did the rest of the class.

Marui looked like he was making his way to his seat, while Jackal was in a 90-degree bow. The former cursed lowly in his breath before taking his stand beside Jackal and bowing down as well.

"Kuwahara-kun. This is something new. But as for Marui-kun…"

Marui, still bowing down, rolled his eyes.

"As punctual as ever, I see." The teacher remarked, sarcasm and contempt filling his voice.

"Well, glad you actually notice." Marui countered, earning a sharp elbow at his side. He grimaced and rubbed at the tender spot. What the hell? He glared at Jackal who wasn't even looking at him.

"So… I have papers I need to get upstairs. Fetch those for me in the teacher's lounge at the fifth floor."

The tanned teen responded with a yes before his partner, whose blood boiled whenever he saw that teacher if I may say, said anything that would make the both of them do something they weren't in for. Besides, a simple errand couldn't possibly hurt anyone, right?

They straightened up and left the room, with Jackal quickly shutting the door, hoping the teacher hadn't seen the hideous expression Marui wore on his pretty face. So much for being a bishie.

"The nerve of that guy." He said bitterly.

"Come on, Marui. It's not like we're gonna die getting his papers."

"Duh, Jackal. Almost every teacher hates me and can't understand my genius. The teacher's lounge? That's hell for me."

Jackal couldn't argue with that. Marui spent most of his university life causing trouble here and there. Not to mention his sharp tongue that automatically sends witty remarks flying everywhere, and, if unfortunate enough, would hit a teacher, a school staff, or even the principal. The latter's office was practically his naptime room.

But if there was one thing Marui was fortunate enough for, it was being in the same university as Niou. Heck, if all the teachers hated Marui, they'd kill themselves whenever Niou was around. So the hatred was kinda bland when compared to Niou's case. The redhead should be thankful, really.

"Let's just get this over with." Marui said, walking towards the elevator. Yeah, Rikkai had an elevator. Cool, right?

For some odd reason, they weren't traumatized enough by their past experience that they had the guts to go inside the confines of the steel cage. Or… Maybe they just forgot, and they'd be freaking out later.

And, as predicted, someone did freak out.

When the doors closed, vague images of what happened _that_ night suddenly came rushing to Marui like a blizzard. Add to that the strange flashback he received a little while ago which he thought may or may've not been connected to the ghost rumours… Or murder. Whatever.

So, because it was in his nature, he ran to the door and tried to pry it open with his fingers.

"I DON'T WANNA BE HERE! LET ME OUT!"

Jackal stood there, completely caught off guard. What just happened?

Marui, realizing the pry-them-open-with-your-bare-hands tactic was not working, then banged on the doors, shouting some words that were probably curses. Who knew? They sounded like garbled transmissions from outer space.

Should Jackal stop him?

It's not like something bad was going to—

Oh… _That_ night. Yeah… About that…

Jackal joined in on the fun and started to murder the open button, eyes threatening to fall out of their sockets.

And without them noticing, they already reached the top floor. Only the loud ding that echoed snapped them out of their stupor. They trembled as the doors opened, slowly, revealing the corridor.

"Well," Marui said, voice shaking. "We're here."

It was daylight, people, but that wasn't enough to save them from their fears. And, to add oil to the fire, the rooms in the fifth floor were all labs, labs, labs; rooms used only in special occasions when their lesson subjects them to. So, most of the time, the whole level was empty. Why had they built the teacher's lounge in such a scary place?

Okay, to make things clear, the ghost rumors were not pertaining to the fifth level. As they went, the mass said if you sing the "yubikiri" song while on the elevator, a sixth floor would appear. Sure, the duo hadn't sung any of the sort, but hey, it was enough to scare you out of your wits. And if you were Marui, and you actually saw something on this floor without knowing that you should or if there were supposed to be any ghosts there, you'd be dead by now.

The last time they did this, they hadn't actually reached the so-called sixth floor, just the fifth, but it was dark, and scary, and… Scary. It could make you think of lots of stuff.

So when the doors opened, oh, how pale they suddenly became.

But, since they had an errand to do, they bravely walked out of the elevator and proceeded to the teacher's lounge with extra care and awareness of their surroundings.

When they reached their destination, they cautiously peaked inside. Cost is clear. Sighs of relief both escaped their lips.

They walked inside, as if they were already safe, like in a haven.

"Where was his desk?" Marui asked loudly. There were no teachers around. No hell for him, then.

"I think that's his." Jackal answered with the same volume, pointing at a certain desk.

Marui walked to it and laughed.

"Man, this guy doesn't know how to organize his stuff, does he? Look at all these. I don't even know what to take."

Jackal made his way beside him and understood what his partner meant. Wow. This was no joke.

"He didn't really specify what. He just said 'papers'. I wonder which." Jackal agreed. This was gonna take some time.

"How's about one of us runs down to ask?" the redhead suggested. Jackal looked at him, Marui just held the stare.

"What, you want me to go?" Jackal asked, because Marui was very much implying it.

"I don't wanna talk to that guy, baldy. Now it's either you wanna be left here ALONE, or you go back down, ask him, and climb back up. So, what's it gonna be, cowboy?"

"What's with the cowboy, stuff, anyway?"

"Just choose so we can get this over with."

"Fine, fine, I'll go. But don't cry when you finally realize it's not good to be up here alone."

With that, Jackal left the room, leaving the door open. Marui couldn't care less. If he was gonna choose between a ghost and that teacher, he'd rather be with the ghost.

Suddenly, the door slammed shut.

Okay, so maybe the teacher was a bit of a better choice.

"I knew we should've both gone down. What was I thinking?" He muttered bitterly to himself.

Scared, he hid under the teacher's desk and held his legs close to his body. Maybe he was a scaredy-cat but damn, he wasn't afraid to show it right now. He was alone, after all.

Or was he?

Then the windows started to rattle, a strong gust of wind trying to get through.

"Jackal, make it quick, buddy. I'm scared to hell here."

When the windows burst open and the air invaded his space, a piece of paper fell from the teacher's desk.

"What—?"

Marui took the paper, which was cut-out from a newspaper, judging from its appearance, and read whatever was written on it.

"_Rikkai student murder a hoax."_

That was weird. Why would _that_ guy have this on his desk? He scanned the article and almost choked when he saw the picture of the said Rikkai student.

"THIS IS HER!" He exclaimed, hands trembling.

He was sure of it. It was the girl with black hair he saw in his mind when he had that vision. Well, she would've been the only one he recognized as all he could see from the other girl was her back.

The door to the room opened and showed Jackal, panting.

"What in the world are you doing under there?"

"You weren't here when bad things happened so don't look at me funny." Marui said, removing himself from under the desk.

"You should've seen how the door closed on its own."

"I closed the door on my way out."

"No, you didn't I saw it."

"I remember closing it, Marui."

"You only remember you did. I know you didn't."

"You're crazy."

"Yeah, how do you explain this?" He said, pointing to the windows. Jackal looked at them, pondering.

"Okay, I give up. What am I supposed to look at?"

"The open windows! They burst open from the wind! See—…"

Marui stopped when he saw the windows were closed.

"Okay…. Even if they did open, all the others would've opened too. There was no strong wind current, Marui. You're just letting this ghost thing get in your head too much. I knew leaving you here was a bad idea."

The redhead just stood there, dumbfounded.

What happened? Was his mind playing tricks on him?

He looked at his hand and saw that the news article was still there.

It couldn't have been mere hallucinations. If they were, this paper wouldn't have been left in his hand.

Jackal proceeded to open a drawer from the desk and took out a folder.

"Come on. We gotta get down quick."

Marui followed after him, folding the paper and pocketing it.

"Finally, school's out!" Marui shouted as the last bell for the day rang, signaling dismissal time.

"If you shout it like that, the teachers are gonna hear you." Jackal warned.

"Yeah, well. I've been saying it everyday. If they cared, they would've sent me to detention sooner."

Marui gathered up his things. Jackal had already fixed his.

They went out and proceeded to their dorm rooms.

Marui took out his key and stuck it inside the keyhole. He was in the middle of turning it when he stopped.

Jackal, sensing something was wrong, looked at his partner.

"What is it?"

Marui turned his head to him, worry written on his face.

"You left after me this morning, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Did you lock the door."

"I did. I even checked it."

Marui, still looking at Jackal, took out the key and turned the knob. The door was open.

"Looks like someone had a fling in our room."

The duo slowly pushed the door open, afraid of what they might see.

Nothing.

They stepped inside and observed if anything was out of order.

Nothing.

"Maybe someone just got the wrong room." Jackal hypothesized.

"No, par'ner. They would've known it by the time they tried to unlock the door. Besides, our names are clearly written outside. Only an idiot would've gotten the wrong room."

They noticed the door to the bathroom was open.

Marui looked at Jackal and nodded. Jackal inched closer and slowly pushed the door open.

"Oh my gosh…"

There, on the tiled wall, was a graffiti written in red.

"Make a wish…" Jackal read.

They stared at it before deciding to call the others.

"So you come here and the door is unlocked, then see this?" Yukimura asked again.

"That's what we told you, Buchou. I swear, that's exactly what happened." Marui answered.

"Maybe Jackal-kun didn't lock it?"

"Buchou, I always double-check before leaving. It was locked." Jackal countered. He knew he locked it, especially because Marui was acting weird a while ago.

"Maybe someone's just pranking you." Niou said, uninterested.

"If someone is," Renji said, touching the markings "He was bold enough to use blood."

Everyone gulped.

"I think you better report this, Marui-kun, Jackal-kun. Before it gets out of hand."

"Yes—"

"No."

All of the tennis regulars looked at Marui.

"We're not telling this to anyone. Even if we did, no one would care enough."

"Don't be stubborn." Sanada ordered.

"I'm not being stubborn. I'm just looking at this logically."

"Logically?" Niou asked, as if implying Marui was incapable of such a thing.

"Look, I know this sounds crazy, but listen. If the rumours about the murdered student are true, and that her ghost is really roaming around the campus, then no school personnel can help us."

"Why?" Niou asked.

Marui took out the news article from his pocket and unfolded it.

"Because of this."

The rest of the club read the title silently.

"A hoax?" Yagyuu said.

"They covered it up."

"Where'd you get this?" Renji asked, taking the paper.

"Teacher's Lounge."

"Idiot. It says here she went missing and was just found dead." Niou looked at Marui. "She was kidnapped and the suspects hid her body here, to soil the name of our school. It's a hoax 'cause everyone thought someone inside the school killed her, at least that's what everyone was made to believe. You really should study more, Marui."

Marui snatched the piece of paper and read it.

"Marui-kun. I'm sorry we sent you and Jackal-kun up that night. But you really shouldn't let this get in your head. We'll let someone know this." Yukimura said, patting Marui on the shoulder.

"I don't get it…"

The tennis club members left, leaving Jackal and Marui alone in the room.

"I believe you." Jackal said.

"You don't have to try to make me feel better." Marui said and plopped down on the bed, not even bothering to take off his shoes.

"Marui, I'm serious. So if you wanna see this through until the end, I'm with you, buddy."

Marui smiled and got up.

"Thanks, pal."

"Niou-kun, I don't think this is a good idea."

"Come on, Yagyuu. It's just a ghost. It's not like it's gonna kill us or anything."

The Platinum Pair made their way to the elevator. Not as scared as the D2, but a bit afraid all the same.

They nodded at each other and started to sing while the elevator went up.

"_Yubi kiri genman, uso tsuitara_ _hari senbon nomasu, yubi katta~…"_

The elevator reached the fifth floor and raised to six, then it stopped.

The doors opened.

Niou turned to Yagyuu and smirked.

"See? I told you—"

A loud scream echoed through the whole campus.

-End of Chapter 1-

A/N: LOL, elevator. I love those. Anyway, hope the 1st chappy didn't suck eggs. R&R! Thanks, peeps!


	3. Chapter 2

**3 Wishes**

_To Erigay: LOL XD Yeah I even freak myself out,_

_especially 'cause it's always so dark and isolated here._

A/N: OHMYGAWSH! I;M SO SORRY I COULDN'T UPDATE SOONER. Well, our ISP is a real bummer. Anyway, I do hope you're still there. Are ya? Please enjoy this chappy~

**3 Wishes**

**Chapter 2**

"They what-?" Marui shouted, a bit too loudly.

Tennis practice was done for the day, and Yukimura called in all the regulars for a meeting. Everyone, even the non-regs, sensed something was wrong with the way the captain spoke, his usual calm demeanor disrupted.

And just as everyone suspected, something bad did happen, especially concerning two of Rikkai's most splendid players.

"Calm down, Marui." Renji said, annoyed at Marui's reaction.

"How can I calm down? You think Niou and Yagyuu suddenly disappearing is a thing I get normally in my life?"

"Well, they disappear a lot of times, Marui." Jackal said, earning a deathly glare from the redhead he actually thought he could die from, which was unusual and out of the norm since the so-called genius' glares weren't exactly working their charm.

"Look, Marui-kun, it's being taken care of. Besides, those two are smart."

"Niou's a total idiot, but I know I'm the only one keen enough to realize that." Marui answered bitterly. He suddenly wondered why he had been worried in the first place, judging from his and the trickster's record.

"Marui." Jackal muttered, elbowing his partner lightly on the side to keep him in line.

"So? What are we gonna do?" Kirihara asked.

"Wait." Yukimura answered, looking at the ground.

It was silent for a moment as all of them worried for their teammates, even Marui. The years they spent together were no joke.

"Where were they last seen?"

All of them snapped out of their stupor and looked at Marui.

"What?" Renji asked.

"Niou and Yagyuu. Where were they last seen?" He repeated.

Renji turned to Yukimura for an answer. Unfortunately, that wasn't in Yukimura's hand at the moment.

"No one knows." Sanada mumbled.

"Great. How on earth are we supposed to find them?"

"We're gonna look for 'em?" Kirihara asked.

"Marui, you're not really thinking this through, are you? We just said that we left the case to the hands of professionals. What part of that can you not comprehend?" Renji said. Marui could be a real bummer at times, especially 'cause he was stubborn and naïve and ultimately childish and immature. He just had to understand the fact that he doesn't have the answer to every little thing out there.

"Everything about it! I mean, how can we just sit here and leave the rest to 'professionals'" Marui answered, making a quotation gesture at the word professionals, "who don't really give much of a shit about missing students? I know I can't."

"Language." Jackal reminded. Marui was unfazed. He was pretty much pissed off at the moment, and that pretty much gave him all the rights in the world to cuss.

"Marui-kun, it's not like we can actually do anything." Yukimura was indeed feeling guilty. But the university had pointed out that he was not to meddle with anything, including the members of his club.

"Buchou, with all due respect, we can and we should do something. Niou and Yagyuu are our Platinum Pair. If they'd order us to go practice and bring them whatever outstanding title we could get our hands on, well let 'em go f—"

"I think," Jackal butt in, covering Marui's mouth with his hand, stopping all attempts of swearing again. He really didn't remember where Marui suddenly picked up the habit of using dirty words when pissed. "what Marui is trying to say is, without Niou-kun and Yagyuu-kun, we're pretty much stuck up in tennis anyway. So, we better look for them fast if we want to win anything. Every member is important, and our non-regs aren't really promising enough to fill for them. What do you – OW!"

Jackal removed his hand from the vicious spot it was on. A red mark grazed his skin; tender from the bite Marui just gave him.

"So we are gonna look for 'em?" Kirihara asked again. He wasn't the smartest of all people. But he was the junior ace, so fair enough.

"Let me think this through." Yukimura answered before dismissing their 'meeting'.

And so the Rikkai regs dispersed.

"You didn't have to bite my hand, you know."

"Well, it was in the way."

"Still…"

"The f of x is…"

"Jackal, stop reviewing!"

Jackal turned his seat to face Marui. The redhead was sprawled on his bed.

"We have a quiz tomorrow. I'm supposed to review."

"What do you think a quiz is for? You're not supposed to review your lessons; they should be stuck in your head."

"Well, I can't remem—"

A sudden series of frantic knocking banged on their door, followed by a hoarse voice.

"Let me in!"

The duo shared a worried look before Jackal cautiously made his way to the door, Marui sitting up and standing his ground firmly beside the taller teen.

"Who is it?" Marui called.

"It's me, Niou! Now open the goddamn door!"

"Niou-kun?" Jackal asked Marui, keeping his voice as low as possible.

Marui made a motion to have his partner open it and, there he was, Niou, wet and dripping.

"What happened to you?" Jackal asked.

"Tell you later. I need a phone." Niou answered, walking inside the room as if it were his own. Jackal's face almost crumpled into a ball when he took notice of the puddle of water Niou was leaving behind in his trails.

"Here." Marui handed him his gadget. "Where's yours?"

"I told you," the trickster began, rapidly tapping buttons on the pad. "I'll tell you later."

A loud beeping noise resounded through the area, followed by an automated voice mail.

"FUCK!" Niou cursed, slamming the still open door into a shut. He tried a few more times, failing in all attempts as the voice mail continued to torment him.

He dropped the phone on whoever's bed and paced back and forth across the room.

"Can you please tell us what's going on?" Marui demanded. Jackal kept quiet, but his partner knew he was as confused.

"Where have you been, anyway? You were deemed missing." Jackal noted.

The half of the platinum pair stopped in his tracks and looked at Jackal.

"I still am. And let's keep it that way."

"What do you mean you still are? Hello, you're practically right in front of us. And unless we're complete and total strangers, then I don't think you're missing anymore."

Again with the witty remarks.

"I knew you never were born with a brain underneath that thick skull." Niou commented.

"What'd you say you—" Marui was practically ready to lunge at the silver-haired teen, but was stopped by Jackal, who had been stopping him from doing a lot of things these past few days.

"Can we please do this more properly?" Jackal said.

"So, Niou-kun. Can you please tell us exactly what happened?"

"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW! First, we were just testing out the rumors 'cause I know this stupid redhead was too baby to actually try it out. And then—"

"Wait, wait, wait. You mean you tried it out?" Marui clarified disbelievingly, ignoring the rude way he was addressed. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"I already told you, I knew you were lying about it not being true. I doubted you even got the song right. You probably forgot about it, even!"

"You idiot!" Marui exclaimed.

"So where's Yagyuu-kun?" Jackal asked.

"That's what I'm stuck in right now. I don't know where he is."

"What do you mean you don't know. I'm pretty sure you had him with you when you acted upon your stupidity."

"You don't know what happened, Marui, so don't act like you're suddenly wise enough to tell me anything."

"Okay, okay, back it up." Jackal entered the scene, sensing it was becoming too tense.

"We'll talk about what happened some other time. What we're gonna do now is too look for Yagyuu-kun."

"You're lucky you have someone intelligent to keep your idiocy intact." Niou exasperated at the fuming redhead.

"So, what are we gonna do?" Marui asked, trying to not punch Niou square on the jaw.

"We go up to that stupid floor."

-End of Chapter 2-

A/N: Is it going too fast? I really couldn't have the D2 pair creeping blindly in the dark, so I had to get Niou back for a lead. And this seems D2 pair-centric-ish, don't ya think? They're the loudest (for me anyway) so I need 'em. Oh, and Kirihara's not having enough screen time so as a sneak peek I'll tell you he'll be in the next chapter more. Thanks for reading, oh and, R&R!


	4. Chapter 3

**3 Wishes**

A/N: Okay. Call me stupid but it's the first time I've noticed that the line thingies don't show anymore. That must've made my previous chappies confusing what with the sudden shift of scenes with no transition or even indication at all. I am SO sorry about that. Anyway, I'll just put sumthin in between. Enough with the ranting. Oh and, my laptop – well, not exactly mine but my bro's, but you get the idea – is finally friends with the reply URL. In my past updates, they weren't too friendly with one and the other. I actually thought it was a problem with the system but then I could use it properly with other PCs. So I'll be using that function once again. Anyway, thanks to my readers and reviewers. AND SORRY for the superbly late update. I know I have an irregular update pattern which I myself find annoying, but I'm sure I'll be updating sooner and quicker with summer vacation fast approaching. I've been real busy with university week, which is now done. SO, I do hope you don't abandon me . V Here's a new chappy and I do hope you enjoy it. :DD

WARNING: (I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THIS. IT'S BEEN TOO DAMN LONG XD) Language, but not too hardcore.

DISCLAIMER: (THIS TOO! LOL) I don't own PoT or anything under that name.

**3 Wishes **

"I understand that this is some kind of battle of prides and all, but can anyone actually tell me what I'm doin' 'ere? I can't really tell…"

The trio decided to just go up to that damned sixth floor and look for Yagyuu. But since Jackal knew he couldn't keep two idiots calm, he tagged Kirihara along. Sure, the junior ace was useless when quieting down a war 'cause, heck he was always on the side that started fights, but since he was more on the stupid genius side, which was a dangerous mix for a single person, Jackal was sure his remarks would make those two bitchslap themselves. Jackal knew it was a good idea, he just knew it was.

"Akaya, aren't you interested in this kind of stuff?" Jackal asked, wondering what the ace had against facing ghosts. Coming from a kid who suddenly turns red and has hair that turns to white, not to mention becoming very violent, it just wasn't sensible.

"Yeah, sure. Facing a few of those doesn't really bother me, jus' tha', I don't get where exactly I fit in this picture. Besides, how'd ya guys think I'd react to seein' Niou-senpai here and tellin' me we're gon' look for Hiroshi-senpai." Kirihara answered, gesturing between themselves. "See my point?"

"Well, it was Jackal's idea." Marui said, not knowing the reason, as well, and at the same time seeing nothing wrong with the idea of Kirihara with them. Was the guy discriminating himself? Boy, that's new.

"Just… Trust me." Jackal countered.

"Well, whatever. But if you guys start runnin' I'll totally spill." Kirihara warned. Marui rolled his eyes while Niou sighed. The silver-haired teen hadn't been in a really good mood. Of course, no one really knew the whole reason why. For Jackal, it was partly Yagyuu's being missing, and mostly Marui's existence. But he had an untold story, so the Brazilian didn't delight in jumping to conclusions.

When they reached the elevator, they all fell silent under its presence like it was something holy, or demonic, you pick. Eye sockets were near empty of their respective eyeballs, mouths almost dry from high exposure to the cool night air.

"I ugh…. Should we… go?" The youngest of the group asked, uncertain if it was the right time to speak or if he should've continued gaping like a fish out of water. Out of their lot, he was the least scared. Part of it was because he never dared to try this out, and that wasn't out of fear, he just never found it interesting enough, and part of it was because he never believed the rumored sixth floor existed and that there was a ghost lurking within its confinements. That was just absurd.

But then again, who was he talk? He was called a demon in most cases.

"Yeah, we should." Marui answered albeit monotonously. Although he said those words, he made no move to push the up button beside the steel doors. No one did.

"Guys…? Oh, fuck it."

Kirihara pushed Niou and Jackal aside lightly and stepped in between them to be up front. He then pushed the right button, the said object glowing in red. For a moment, as Marui stared at it, he hallucinated that it was dripping with blood. He shuddered at the thought and turned to look at the number indicating which floor had the elevator reached already.

"It's going down…" He said.

"Of course it is." Niou remarked as a matter of fact.

The elevator stopped and with a loud bing, caused them to snap out of their trance.

"We better go." Jackal trembled as they took steps to enter the cage.

None of them was claustrophobic, but they suddenly were when they positioned themselves as comfortable as possible, which was, in this case, impossible. Marui stood in front of the set of buttons and groaned.

"You again." Marui whispered under his breath, sending death glares to the button indicating the digit 5. "I was hoping we wouldn't see each other again."

"Stop talking to the damn thing and push it." Niou cursed, annoyed to hell.

"Fine, geez." He complied and pushed the said button. Oh how he hated the feeling of it under his finger, even if it was only for a few milliseconds, or nano. He didn't really know the difference, just that they were both faster than seconds.

"The song." Jackal reminded.

"Yeah. The song." The redhead repeated bitterly. He had wished for all of them to forget about that and the whole plan to be a big joke, but Yagyuu was there, on that cursed floor, with a ghost. They had to save him.

He let out a sour breath and sang, his voice shaking with every note. The rest followed, a bit out of tone. Kirihara, who had no idea of how big a trouble they were getting themselves into, sang with ease, the meaning of each word he let go bearing little, if not none, impact to him.

"_Yubi kiri genman,…"_

All of them felt the elevator's ascendancy speed. It wasn't natural, like it was speeding itself to catch up with their song, like it needed to arrive 'there' at around the same time they finish with the song.

"… _uso tsuitara hara senbon nomasu, yubi kitta…"_

Marui almost screamed when the red 5 slowly descended the screen, making way to a glowing 6.

"Shit." Marui cursed under his breath, already feeling a chill in his bones.

"We shouldn't be here." Jackal suddenly said. Marui and Kirihara looked at him, though Jackal made no attempt to further explain his words, while Niou remained unfazed. He had faced this floor before and part of what it could 'offer' them, but not enough to make him rethink if Yagyuu was even alive or if he had already hanged himself from fear of the unknown.

"But we already are." Niou mumbled as the doors opened, without any sound, just like how Niou remembered it. No bing, no anything, just a scream, his scream.

The hallway was dark, except for a broken light flashing on and off.

"Let's go." Niou said and took slow and unsure steps. Everyone followed. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, it sounded as if it crashed down. Jackal almost jumped out of his skin as he was the last to step out of the carriage. He looked back and saw yellow tapes blocking the entrance of where the elevator was supposed to be.

"Out of… service…" Jackal whispered, his eyes wide as saucers, probably even wider. He took a peak but was stopped by Niou's voice.

"Don't look down."

The Brazilian teen closed his eyes and slowly turned away to face Marui and the gang, all the while holding his breath, thinking about, what he could've seen and what it could've done to him.

He could've gone insane, you know.

"So where are we gon' go now?" Kirihara asked. Niou looked at him with an expression saying 'really?'. No one could miss the anticipation Kirihara had as he said those words, as if he was going to watch a really cool movie.

"What? Jus' askin'." Kirihara defended. He wasn't fearless, just… Daring.

Niou didn't answer and left Kirihara's question, which was probably the other two's question as well, hanging in the air and started to walk. He honestly had no idea where to begin searching. If they randomly went to places, they might as well stab themselves on their own. This wasn't a normal man-hunt.

"Yagyuu, you bastard. Where the fuck are you?" Niou peaked through the windows, being met with nothing but darkness.

"D'ya think he's gon' answer?" Kirihara asked, though he meant no harm. Niou rolled his eyes and ignored his junior. Stupidity and all its ill effects on the world.

Jackal, being behind the three, stopped dead in his tracks when he felt something cold touch his back.

"Guys…" He barely croaked.

His broken voice reached deaf ears as they continued to trudge forward. He swallowed hard as he saw black hair getting closer to his face from the corner of his eye. He shut his eyes tight, afraid of what he might see.

_Make a wish…_

"Jackal?"

He opened them and saw Marui and Kirihara looking at him, worried.

"You aryt, par'ner?" the redhead asked.

Jackal almost turned to look behind him but stopped himself from doing so. He let out a nervous chuckle and reassured them that he was fine.

"Okay, but make sure to tell us when you see anything funny."

He nodded and started to walk after them.

Jackal rubbed his nape and thought about that cold voice he heard. Make a wish?

"Guys, how about trying the comfort room?"

**o0o0o0o0o**

"I still don't get why we're here." Niou crossed his arms and leaned on the door frame.

"Well, I was kind of hoping Yagyuu would hide in here since," Jackal started, prying the cubicles open. Marui wanted to stop him. What if they saw something not Yagyuu-ish inside one of those dirty stalls?

Jackal stopped on the last and looked at them while opening the door. "well, you know, this is the only room mentioned in the rumor and if we'd go look for him, here's the best place to start."

Good enough, Yagyuu was there, sitting cold on the tiled floor, unconscious or asleep, who knew?

Niou, noticing the smile Jackal wore on his lips and the shocked expression the stupid duo had, approached the cubicle with disbelief.

"Yagyuu!" He said, almost too audible.

Yagyuu's eyes fluttered open. He raised his head and backed away when he saw company but then realized who they were.

"Niou-kun?"

"You fucking bastard, why'd you run off when we first came here?" Niou whispered as loud as he could, if that was possible, and helped the 'gentleman' up on his feet.

"That's nice, really, but I'm startin' to feel funny, and that's not real' nice." Kirihara butt in. Niou glared at him and noted at how pale the youngest grew.

"C'mon, stop staring at me like tha' an' le's get a move on."

Well, the tendency with people are, they react a bit too late in threatening situations.

No one moved an inch, even when the door slammed itself shut, trapping all of them inside the deadly confines of the comfort room. Niou wanted nothing more than to break the huge glass in front of them.

"Fuck."

-End of Chapter 3-

A/N: Noticed how short my chapters are? I've always been like this. LOL I dunno. I can't get them to be any longer. Sorry 'bout that. I'll try harder. ANYWAY, PLEASE, leave a review. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. I really wanna know what you think. :DD


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